Cyclical construction workforce shortage : an evaluation of the current shortage in Western North Carolina

The inadequate supply of skilled construction craft workers is an issue that currently affects the performance of the construction industry. The performance of the construction industry has a significant influence on the growth of the national economy as well as citizens’ wellbeing. The challenges associated with the construction industry’s skilled worker shortage are cyclical. The cyclical nature is a result of the fact that the demand for construction in the U.S. depends on the performance of the overall U.S. economy. The current study evaluates the nature of the current shortage in the western region of North Carolina. Accordingly, the study examines the data collected by the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board, employing a survey that targeted construction firms. The authors have analyzed 46 completed surveys that were collected during the fall of 2018. Among other findings, the study reveals that the demand for laborers and licensed journeymen is higher than other construction positions such as supervisors and estimators. Also, the study shows that entry-level positions such as laborers have higher employee turnover rates compared to more experienced positions. The research could help develop a certified career pathway that provides short-term training and work-based learning opportunities for the raw construction workforce

Briefing: Towards exploring profession-specific BIM challenges in the UK

Building information modelling (BIM) has been proposed as an enabler for greater efficiency and effectiveness within the UK construction industry, providing digital management of construction data throughout the project life cycle. The potential benefits of BIM have been widely discussed in published literature but relatively less attention has been paid to the discipline/profession-specific challenges of wider industry adoption. Further studies, such as the authors' ongoing research, could help to remedy this

Adoption of BIM by architectural firms in India: technology–organization–environment perspective

Building information modelling (BIM) is being heralded as a remarkable innovation in the built environment sector with expectations of lofty sector-wide improvements. Some countries have shown remarkable levels of uptake of BIM, along the way documenting some evidence of benefits stemming from BIM. However, countries such as India and China are late entrants in the BIM adoption journey and are seeing a slower adoption rate. This study develops a model using the technology–organization–environment framework to study the factors influencing BIM adoption by architectural firms in India and reasons for this slow adoption. The proposed model of BIM adoption is tested using the partial least square method against responses collected from 184 industry professionals based in India. Findings reveal that the adoption of BIM by Indian architectural firms is at the ‘experimentation’ stage with variables such as expertise, trialability, and management support exhibiting a strong positive influence on BIM adoption. The study also explains the status of BIM adoption in India with the help of a multi-level social construct, which places the level of BIM adoption in India between the micro- and meso-levels of organizational scales. Similarities and dissimilarities with previous findings are discussed in the paper to highlight the findings of this study. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Grou

Occupant productivity and office indoor environment quality : a review of the literature

The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature to draw an understanding of the relationship between indoor environmental quality and occupant productivity in an office environment. The study reviews over 300 papers from 67 journals, conference articles and books focusing on indoor environment, occupant comfort, productivity and green buildings. It limits its focus to the physical aspects of an office environment. The literature outlines eight Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) factors that influence occupant productivity in an office environment. It also discusses different physical parameters under each of the IEQ factors. It proposes a conceptual model of different factors affecting occupant productivity. The study also presents a review of the data collection methods utilised by the research studies that aim to investigate the relationship between IEQ and occupant productivity. The study presents a comprehensive discussion and analysis of different IEQ factors that affect occupant productivity. The paper provides a concise starting point for future researchers interested in the area of indoor environmental quality

Descriptive Comparison of Academics’ and Practitioners’ Perceptions of Key BIM Maturity Indicators

This paper investigates the prioritization of key Building information modeling (BIM) maturity indicators as perceived by global BIM-related academics and practitioners. A review of literature generated an initial pool of BIM maturity (BIMM) indicators. The perception of global BIM-related experts in the identified BIMM indicators was collected through a survey. Descriptive statistics and ranking comparison were used to study the perceived difference of key BIMM indicators between academics and practitioners in the USA, in the non-USA countries, and in the world. The results identify the underlying consensus and disagreement on the key BIMM indicators between the groups. This research has both academic and practical implications. Academically, it helps the academics to better understand the demand of the practitioners in order to improve design and revise BIM-related curriculum. Practically, the practitioners can better understand the background and qualification of their current and future BIM-related workforce through the academics’ emphasis of BIM

BIM Collaboration in Student Architectural Technologist Learning

This paper is the result of a qualitative case study which investigated the influence of building information modelling (BIM) collaboration on the learning of student architectural technologists based around a studio group project. The purpose of the paper is to disseminate knowledge gained into a new learning environment facilitated by the collaborative properties of a BIM application. A qualitative case study approach has been used to undertake the examination of the learners’ experiences during the project. This approach allowed the author to map the complex interaction between the participants during the stages of the collaborative design project. The paper provides evidence of a new learning environment created in the studio setting. This learning is facilitated by the collaboration tools and work-set methodology of the BIM application. This case study will support higher education institutions proposing to introduce collaborative BIM applications into a built environment curriculum and also may act as a catalyst to encourage educators to adopt a similar approach to teaching in a range of other professions. This research supports a need in higher education to provide for transition from theory to workplace practice and identifies a potential for higher level learning facilitated by collaborative BIM technologies and methodologies

Using BIM capabilities to improve existing building energy modelling practices

This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Emerald under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Purpose - This paper presents a review of the implications Building Information Modelling (BIM) is having on the building energy performance modelling (BEM) and design of buildings. It addresses the issues surrounding exchange of information throughout the design process, and where BIM may be useful in contributing to effective design progression and information availability. Design/methodology/approach - Through review of current design procedures and examination of the concurrency between architectural and thermophysical design modelling, a procedure for in- formation generation relevant to design stakeholders is created, and applied to a high-performance building project currently under development. Findings - The extents of information key to the successful design of a buildings energy performance in relation to its architectural objectives are given, with indication of the Level of Development (LOD) required at each stage of the design process. Practical Implications - BIM offers an extensible medium for parametric information storage, and its implementation in design development suggests the capability for inclusion of building performance data integration. The extent of information required for accurate BEM at stages of a building’s design is defined to assist comprehensive recording of performance information in a BIM environment. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the discussion around the integration of concurrent design procedures and a Common Data Environment (CDE). It presents a framework for the creation and dissemination of information during design, exemplifies this on a real building project and evaluates the barriers experienced in successful implementation